Happier
by LemonStar
Summary: ..Daryl/Beth.. From the "House Call" series. Daryl knows that Beth will take time in getting used to this. A bubble bath, a new toothbrush, new clothes just for him that weren't hand-me-downs from someone else – it's all completely new to Luke and he's going to react to everything new like it's the best thing in the world.


…

Daryl tries not to smile as he stands behind Luke, both at the sink in the small bathroom, brushing their teeth. Any time Daryl moves his toothbrush to one side of his mouth, Luke moves his toothbrush to the same side.

This is Luke's first official morning with Daryl and Beth, having come home with them yesterday evening after days of getting all of their ducks in a row with the help of Rick and Lori Grimes. They had filed the paperwork and were waiting for it to get processed and once it was, CPS would go into the Ridgeway home to remove Luke from the unhealthy and abusive environment and place him in the Dixon home. Things had moved much faster though when Mark and Valerie Ridgeway were arrested.

They don't even have a bed for him yet; just their couch, but Luke had been more than happy with that. Last night, after bringing him into their home, Luke had helped Beth make dinner – beefaroni casserole and Luke ate two plates of it – and then Beth had drawn him a bubble bath and after that, he changed into the new pajamas they had bought for him and he had sat with Daryl on the couch as they watched television.

Daryl and Beth had both been worried about how Luke would sleep. He's in a completely new house with people who aren't his parents – not that his parents were _anything_ close to being good ones – and the Dixon house is in the middle of the woods. It's dark out here and it's quiet in a way people aren't used to.

But Luke had slept through the whole night without a problem and in the morning, they all woke up and Luke watched with unbroken fascination as Beth made him breakfast.

"Do you like fried eggs?" She asked him at the counter.

"I don't know," he shook his head.

Beth smiled. "Let's give them a try?"

"Yes!" He had all, but exclaimed and Beth had laughed.

She made egg-in-a-frame, taking slices of white bread, cutting holes in the middle and cracking the eggs inside. She then fried them up in a pan on the stove and Luke was able to eat three slices just on his own, declaring to Beth and Daryl that he loved fried eggs.

And now, after the three all helped in cleaning up the kitchen, Daryl took Luke into the bathroom to brush their teeth and Beth was in the bedroom with the door closed, getting herself dressed.

Luke is excited. Daryl can tell. Even through a mouthful of toothpaste, the boy is smiling. As they ate, Beth told Luke that on Saturdays, she and Daryl run errands and today, they have to go to Aldi for groceries.

Luke paused to swallow his bite of toast and egg. "Do I come, too?" He asked.

"'course you're comin', too," Daryl answered and Luke instantly smiled.

Daryl doesn't want to think about it, but he and this little kid have way too much in common and Daryl knows that this four-year-old has never been inside of a grocery store before. He knows Mark and Valerie Ridgeway, not well, but he knows them – they and his brother run in the same circles – and he knows that when these two are out of their meth highs enough to remember to eat, they go to the gas station to buy something there. The only good food Luke has ever gotten is from the daycare center and it's a miracle in Daryl's opinion that Valeria is lucid enough to pay for Luke to go there every day. But if he's at the daycare center, she doesn't have to worry about him being around for eight hours of the day.

"Spit," Daryl says and Luke obediently stands on his tip toes and spits into the sink and Daryl leans in next to him and spits, too.

Maybe Aldi will have a little footstool or something they can buy for Luke to use.

Daryl takes a small paper cup from the holder on the counter that Beth brought one day and Daryl has gotten used to having the little cups in the bathroom all of the time now. He fills it with water and hands it to Luke and Luke waits as Daryl fills his own cup with water. Daryl then shows him how to swish the water in his mouth, Luke mirroring him, and a moment later, they both spit into the sink again.

"How's it going in here?" Beth asks from the doorway and both Daryl and Luke turn their heads to look at her. She is smiling so brightly, Daryl knows that she has been watching them for more than a second.

"Good!" Luke answers with his own smile and Beth laughs at his enthusiasm.

"I have some clothes for you. Would you like to see?" She asks him and Luke nearly gasps at that, causing Beth's smile to fade just a fraction.

Daryl knows that Beth will take time in getting used to this. A bubble bath, a new toothbrush, new clothes just for him that weren't hand-me-downs from someone else – it's all completely new to Luke and he's going to react to everything new like it's the best thing in the world.

"Come on, sweet boy," Beth recovers herself and is smiling brightly again. "You can choose today."

She holds her hand out for him and Luke doesn't hesitate in taking it.

"Hey," Daryl says before Luke can leave the bathroom.

Both he and Beth turn back towards Daryl and he picks up the toothbrush holder from the counter, extending it out to Luke.

"That one," Daryl says and points to the third empty hole.

Luke is beaming as if nothing better has ever happened to him as he carefully slides his toothbrush into the slot, resting it in the holder alongside Beth and Daryl's toothbrushes.

"I'm green, Beth's pink and yours is orange," Daryl says. "What color are you?"

"Orange!" Luke nearly exclaims and Beth laughs and Daryl cracks a grin, too.

…

They get to Aldi right at nine, as soon as it opens, and as Daryl gathers the nylon shopping bags that they keep in the truck for shopping trips so they don't have to buy bags, Beth helps Luke from his booster seat that they have borrowed from Rick and Lori, who had saved it when Carl was using it when he was that age.

"Now, hold my hand as we cross the lot," Beth tells him and Luke obediently holds onto her hand and even when they reach the carts, he doesn't let go. "Want to feed the cart?" She asks.

"I don't know how," Luke frowns.

"I'm going to show you," Beth smiles down at him and Luke smiles, too. "Take this." She hands him the quarter. "And put it right into this slot." She points to the tiny box on the handle and Luke carefully pushes the quarter in. "Now pull," she says and with her hands on the handlebar, Luke puts his hands on it, too, and together, they pull the cart out.

The cart frees from the row and Luke smiles up at Beth, proudly. She kisses his head and then steps aside so Daryl can push it. That's how they do it. Daryl pushes the cart and Beth is in charge of the list.

"Wanna ride in it?" Daryl asks.

Luke gasps at the question and looks up at Daryl with an open mouth, not answering the question; almost unable to at the mere _idea_ of it. Daryl gives him a little smile and then lifts him up, sitting him down in the front seat and helping him put his legs through the holes. He's still small enough to sit in the cart seat.

Luke still doesn't say anything as Daryl begins pushing the cart through the automatic doors, following Beth inside. Luke's hands rest on the handlebar and he turns in the seat so he can see the store. Beth finds the list in her purse and she unfolds it, pausing to look it over.

"Daryl, cookies," she says, pointing to the side of the aisle where all of the cookies are displayed while she stops in front of the bags of nuts, looking for the almonds she likes.

Daryl pushes the cart ahead and then stops. "Alrigh', Luke. Hard chocolate chip or chewy chocolate chip?" He asks, looking at each package. He then looks to Luke, who is also staring at all of the different types of cookies in front of him.

Daryl knows he's probably never seen these many kinds of cookies before. He tries to remember the kinds that can be bought in a gas station. Did Mark and Valerie _ever_ buy this boy cookies or does he only get whatever cookies they're having at the daycare center that day? He knows the answer.

Daryl remembers that he never had a peanut butter cookie until he was almost eleven and one of the kids in his class brought a container in for every classmate to have on her birthday.

"Le's get both," Daryl suggests. Luke's eyes fly to look at him and Daryl smiles. "That way, you can decide which one you like more. That way, next time we gotta buy cookies, you'll know what you like."

Luke doesn't say anything to that and still looks at Daryl and Christ, the way this boy is looking at him, he's about to start crying and if he does that, Daryl's not sure his eyes won't get wet, too, and he's not going to start crying in Aldi.

"Next time," Luke then says quietly, echoing the words as if they're the best words he's ever heard.

Daryl doesn't stop himself from leaning in and kissing Luke on the top of his head and he hears Luke inhale a breath and Daryl quickly turns himself away to grab both packages of cookies.

Beth returns to their cart, placing the bag of almonds inside along with their cookies. "Next. Bread."

Luke looks to Daryl.

Daryl begins pushing the cart again. "We can get wheat if you wanna try it, but wheat bread tastes like cardboard and we usually jus' get white unless Beth is doin' her special gluten free thing."

"I like white bread, too!" Luke is quick to agree.

"I only tried that gluten free for a _day_ , Daryl," Beth speaks up. "And I think we can all agree that it was a complete disaster and I ate an entire pack of Hawaiian rolls the next day so that diet did _nothing_."

Daryl looks down to Luke and rolls his eyes. "Women."

"Women," Luke parrots, rolling his eyes, too – or at least attempting to and instead, rolling his entire head instead.

Daryl breaks into a smile and Beth slaps Daryl in the arm. Daryl takes hold of Beth's hand and it's Beth's turn to roll her eyes while trying not to smile as Daryl tugs her into his side, holding her close. Luke watches them with his own smile, wondering how many more new experiences he'll have just today.

…

* * *

 **Happy New Year and thank you for reading!**


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